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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed maintenance of status quo in a dispute linked to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) and the Centre’s ethanol allocation process, while the government clarified that its target of achieving 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol remains unchanged.
During the hearing, Attorney General R Venkataramani told the Bench that the Centre continues to stand by its nationwide ethanol blending programme. Describing it as a “major experiment,” he said the results of the initiative are expected to become clearer by next year.
The matter arises from a Karnataka High Court order that directed authorities to reopen the ethanol allocation process for the 2025–26 supply year. BPCL has opposed the reopening, arguing that any disruption in allocation could affect the implementation of the Centre’s broader ethanol blending programme.
The Supreme Court questioned why the petitioners had not first approached the Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court. Responding to this, the Attorney General submitted that ethanol supply contracts for the relevant period had already been finalised in October 2025.
He also informed the Court that similar disputes are pending before several high courts and warned that multiple proceedings could result in conflicting orders, creating uncertainty in the execution of a national policy. The Attorney General sought permission to file a transfer petition so that the pending cases could be consolidated.
However, senior advocate Siddharth Dave opposed the move, arguing that the proposed transfer petition appeared to be an attempt to delay the proceedings.
Venkataramani stressed that a decision before October is important, as fresh ethanol supply contracts are expected to be awarded around that time. He said routing the parties through different appellate forums could lead to avoidable delay.
After hearing the submissions, the Supreme Court issued notice and ordered that status quo be maintained until the next date of hearing.
Following the proceedings, the Attorney General clarified that his submissions were limited to the quantum of ethanol supply and did not concern the government’s ethanol blending policy. He asserted that the Centre’s decision to implement 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol remains unchanged.
He added that the actual volume of ethanol allocated to oil marketing companies would depend on demand, availability and other operational factors.
